Foldable chair

ABSTRACT

Foldable chair comprising a seat ( 10 ) and at least three legs ( 11 ) attached to the seat ( 10 ). A leg holder ( 12 ) which is arranged spaced apart from the seat ( 10 ) is associated with each leg ( 11 ) and each leg holder ( 12 ) has a connecting element. The legs are received at a mounting ( 13 ) by means of the connecting elements so as to be movable relative to one another. The leg holders ( 12 ) have as the connecting element a formed-on part, said formed-on parts ( 12 a) being rotatably mounted between the legs ( 11 ) and thus a easy to produce, foldable chair is provided, which may take up high forces in the connecting means between the legs with minimal material wear.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a foldable chair having a seat and at least three legs attached to the seat, according to the preamble of claim 1.

BACKGROUND ART

Foldable and portable chairs which can easily be transported from one location to another are needed for a wide variety of uses. A chair of this type is not only to be produced with a lightweight construction, but should also be reduceable to a relatively small size. In a foldable chair of this type, the legs must be connected to one another via a connecting mechanism.

From DE 698 14 128 12, which forms the basis of the preamble of claim 1, there is known a foldable chair having three legs which are mounted in articulated manner at a connector. The connector has a crosshead which is mounted in the leg holder. The mounting is achieved by inserting said crosshead into an opening of the leg in a first position, wherein the crosshead can then be transferred into a locked condition in a second position. Although, in practice, this solution has proved to be usable, due to the crosshead, material wear takes place at the leg holder, thereby reducing the useful life of the chair. The preferably asymmetrical configuration of the connecting region also requires increased care during assembly of the chair by the manufacturer.

From, for example, DE 829 490 C, U.S. Pat. No. 6,871,905 B2 and US 2013/0187431 A1, there are known hinge mechanisms for foldable, preferably three-legged chairs wherein, in principle, it is attempted to connect two legs to one another via a first joint and to mount the third leg in articulated manner therein. To simplify such solutions, in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,876,091 A, a Y-shaped part and, in the U.S. Pat. No. 7,401,850 B2, a Y-bolt is used. U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,795 A discloses a ball joint, arrangement, but without the inclusion of formed-on parts in the moulded parts.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE INVENTION

Proceeding from this prior art, it is an object of the present invention to provide an easily manufactured foldable chair which is able to withstand large forces in the connecting region between the legs with minimum material wear.

This object is achieved with a foldable chair having the features of claim 1.

The foldable chair has leg holders which are arranged spaced apart from the seat 10. A connecting element in the form of a formed-on part by means of which the legs are movably connected to one another is provided in the region of each leg holder. Said formed-on part can be rotatably mounted in moulded parts arranged between the legs. The use of moulded parts permits the formed-on parts to be rapidly and easily mounted in the moulded parts. The rotatable mounting also has the result that, in conjunction with the moulded parts, the forces can be transferred well and the material wear is minimal.

This is particularly the case if the mounting is constructed from two moulded parts and the formed-on parts have nipples on the leg holders, said nipples being mounted with play in the moulded parts in complementary recesses. In the lower moulded part, the nipples of the leg holders can be placed readily and easily accessible from above. The upper moulded part can be mounted easily and in a self-centering manner. Preferably, the connection thereby created can be fixed with a central screw.

With a design of this type, the screw must only hold the moulded parts of the mounting together and the dynamic forces are conducted into the moulded parts which are preferably configured hemispherical and therefore create a spherical cage. Due to the spherical form of the nipples which are mounted in the circular, undercut recesses, the parts can be mounted smoothly running but precisely, so that material wear is also reduced.

The moulded. parts are configured substantially identical and preferably hemispherical, so that the desired spherical cage can be formed. In the leg holders themselves, the upper leg part is fixed at fixing lugs, and the lower leg part can be fixed and length-adjusted relative to the upper leg part by means of detent pin locking arrangement.

Further advantages are disclosed by the suhclaims and the following description of a preferred exemplary embodiment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is described in greater detail by reference to an exemplary embodiment illustrated the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a three-dimensional view of a foldable chair,

FIG. 2 shows the legs connected to one another, removed from the seat surface and in the collapsed condition,

FIG. 3 shows a three-dimensional view from above of the leg holders and the mounting,

FIG. 4 shows a plan view of the representation of FIG. 3,

FIG. 5 shows a sectional view along the line m-m of FIG. 4,

FIG. 6 shows an exploded view of the leg holders and the mounting of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Before the invention. is described in detail, it is noted that it is not restricted to the respective components of the device and the relevant method steps, since these components and methods can vary. The expressions used herein are intended only to describe particular embodiments and are not used in a limdting manner. Furthermore, were the singular or the indefinite article is used in the description or the claims, this also applies to a plurality of the elements in question, unless the overall context clearly indicates otherwise.

The Figures and, in particular, FIG. 1 show a foldable chair with three legs 11 which are attached to a seat 10. In principle, more than three legs can also be provided, but with three legs, a stable placement of the foldable chair is ensured. The seat 10 is fastened with sleeves on hearing bushings 19 provided on the legs 11 and can be removed from the legs 11 if required. The legs 11 have foot sleeves which are placed over the ends of the legs at the lower end 18 thereof. Preferably, the legs 11 are configured to have multiple parts and, in the exemplary embodiment, consist of an upper leg part 11 a and a lower leg part 11 b which is mounted longitudinally displaceably in the upper leg part 11 a. In order to fix the leg parts in the respective positions thereof relative to one another, a detent pin locking arrangement 17 according to FIGS. 1 and 2 is provided.

In order to connect the legs 11 to one another, each leg 11 has a leg holder 12 which is mounted spaced apart from the seat 10 according to FIG. 1. This spacing from the seat 10 or the arrangement of the leg holders along the legs is essentially at approximately the same height on each leg and preferably at approximately the middle of the legs 11. Each leg holder 12 has a connecting element by means of which the leg holder is connected to the leg holders 12 of the other legs 11. By means of the connecting elements, the legs are mounted movable relative to one another at a mounting 13 so that the legs can be moved, for example, from the position according to FIG. 2 into the position according to FIG. 1.

The leg holders 12 have a formed-on part 12 a as the connecting element, wherein the formed-on parts 12 a are rotatably mounted. between the legs 11 in the mounting made from moulded parts 13 a, 13 b. The construction with moulded parts results in a high degree of stability and the rotatable mounting simultaneously reduces the level of wear to which the formed-on part 12 is subject in the moulded parts 13 a, 13 b and to which also the moulded parts are subject.

According to FIGS. 3 to 6 and, in particular, FIGS. 5 and 6, the mounting 13 consists of two moulded parts 13 a, 13 b, which are connected to one another at a joint site 13 c. In the region of this joint site, there are provided recesses 14 for receiving the formed-on parts 12 a of the leg holders 12. Said recesses 14 are formed in that, as shown in FIG. 6, in particular, the moulded parts 13 a and 13 b each have semicircular openings which, in the assembled state, provide the recesses 14. Undercuts 14 a are provided behind. the recesses 14.

As FIG. 5 shows, the formed-on parts 12 a have a post 12 b projecting from the leg holder 12, said post merging, at the distal end thereof, into a circular nipple 12 c extending transversely to the post and beyond the diameter of the post. The circular shape is preferred because, in this way, the rotatable mounting in the moulded part 13 a, 13 b can be effectively executed. In the operational state, the nipple 12 c lies in the recesses 14, specifically in the undercuts 14 a. In the assembled state of the mounting 13 formed by the moulded parts 13 a, 13 b, the recesses 14 are formed circular and with play, and are complementary to the formed-on parts 12 a with the circular nipples 12 c, so that a reliable mounting able to withstand loading is provided.

In order to achieve the assembly according to FIG. 6, the formed-on parts 12 a of the three leg holders 12 are inserted into the lower moulded part 13 b. The upper moulded part 13 a is then placed thereon, which is achieved easily and in a self-centering manner, due to the round shapes. The two moulded parts 13 a, 13 b are connected to one another by a screw fastening which, in the exemplary embodiment, is provided by the screw 15 and the nut 16. If required, a thread can also be provided in the moulded part 13 b into which the screw 15 is fixed. Alternative connecting mechanisms such as latching mechanisms are conceivable. The central screw 15 only holds the moulded. parts 13 a, 13 b together to form the mounting 13, whereas the actual dynamic forces which arise when the chair is used are conducted via the recesses 14 provided with the undercut 14 a into the hemispherical moulded parts 13 a, 13 b. The screw 15 itself is barely loaded. However, the forces arising can be absorbed in the spherical cage formed by the moulded parts 13 a, 13 b. At the same time, the formed-on parts can be moved easily but precisely in the recesses 14. The moulded. parts 13 a, 13 b are essentially identical and possibly complementary in the Mint region.

The leg holders 12 have, at the upper and lower ends thereof, two openings 12 d, 12 e for accommodating an upper leg part 11 a and a lower leg part 11 b. A first of the leg parts comprising the upper leg part 11 a and the lower leg part llb is fixed onto the leg holder 12 and at least this leg part is hollow. The other leg part is accommodated longitudinally displaceable axially within the first leg part. Preferably, the upper leg part 11 a is the first leg part: which is fixed onto the leg holder 12 and the lower leg part 11 b is fixable relative thereto by means of a detent pin locking arrangement 17 and is thus mounted movable relative thereto and therefore also adjustably, on the upper leg part 11 a.

REFERENCE SIGNS

10 Seat

11 Leg

11 a Upper leg part

11 b Lower leg part

12 Leg holder

12 a Formed-on part

12 b Post

12 c Nipple

12 d, 12 e Opening

12 f Fixing lug

13 Mounting

13 a, 13 b Moulded part

13 c Joint site

14 Recess

14 a Undercut

15 Screw

16 Nut

17 Detent pin locking arrangement

18 Foot sleeve

19 Bearing bushing 

1. Foldable chair comprising a seat and at least three legs attached to the seat, wherein a leg holder which is arranged spaced apart from the seat is associated with each leg, wherein each leg holder has a connecting element, wherein the legs are received at a mounting by means of the connecting elements so as to be movable relative to one another, wherein the leg holders have as the connecting element a formed-on part, said formed-on parts being rotatably mounted between the legs in the mounting made of moulded parts.
 2. Foldable chair according to claim 1, wherein the mounting is made of two moulded parts which, in the operational state, are joined together at a joint site and have recesses at the joint site for the formed-on parts of the leg holders.
 3. Foldable chair according to claim 1 wherein the formed-on parts merge, via a post projecting from the leg holder, into a circular nipple which extends transversely to the post and beyond the diameter of the post, said nipple being mounted, in the operational state, in the recesses provided with an undercut.
 4. Foldable chair according to claim 2, wherein the recesses are formed circular and with play, and are complementary to the formed-on parts.
 5. Foldable chair according to claim 2, wherein, with the foldable chair standing upright, the two moulded parts joined together from above and below and connected with a central screw constitute the mounting.
 6. Foldable chair according to claim 2, wherein moulded parts are identically constructed and are preferably made hemispherical.
 7. Foldable chair according to claim 1, wherein the leg holders have openings for accommodating an upper leg part and a lower leg part which can be displaced relative to one another in the longitudinal direction of the leg.
 8. Foldable chair according to claim 7, wherein a first of the leg parts comprising the upper leg part and the lower leg part is fixed at the leg holder and is hollow and the other leg part is accommodated axially displaceably within the first leg part.
 9. Foldable chair according to claim 8, wherein the upper leg part, as the first of the leg parts, is fixed onto the leg holder and that the lower leg part is movably mounted on the upper leg part and is fixable and adjustable by means of a detent pin locking arrangement. 